Bloomsbury-commissioned poll reveals Britons know 'shockingly little' Black British History

New YouGov polling, commissioned by Bloomsbury and released during Black History Month, reveals that most Britons "vastly underestimate" how long Black people have lived in Britain and Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The publisher said the results of the survey "demonstrate an urgent need" for books that "spotlight integral parts of our history that have been pushed to one side for far too long".

Bloomsbury author Atinuke, author of Brilliant Black British History (Bloomsbury Children’s), called for Black history to be more fully integrated into UK education in light of the new data. She said: “The results of this poll show how shockingly little the UK knows about Black British history; which is an integral part of British history [...] British history is the history of all British people – white, Black, brown – everyone!

"It is the history of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And it must include the history, not just of the movers and shakers, but also of poor and disenfranchised people of all skin colours. We need One History – all British histories being told and taught together, in every school and university in the UK – and that needs to include Black and other marginalised British histories alongside white British History."

In the survey of 2,268 UK adults, 75% acknowledged that they did not know "very much" or "anything at all" about Black British history, despite 68% saying that they thought they knew "a lot" or a "fair amount" about British history in general. The survey also revealed that more than half could not name a Black British historical figure, while only 7% believed they could name more than four.

The report explains that Black people settled permanently in Britain around 12,000 years ago, with the first known people to come directly from Africa settling approximately 2,000 years ago. However, 36% of respondents said they thought Black people migrated to Britain within the past 200 years, with a further 29% not sure.

Respondents also underestimated Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, despite the fact that the British forcibly took more than 3.1 million people from Africa. More than half of respondents said they "didn’t know" how many people were taken and around half of those who did give an answer believed the amount was 250,000 or fewer.

Moreover, only 12% of Britons thought that more than a million people were taken, despite the true figure being more than three times that amount. But younger adults, between 18–24 years old, are the demographic most likely to believe that more than a million people were taken by the British as part of the transatlantic slave trade, and are also the group most likely to be able to name Black British historical figures. Even in this demographic, however, 73% felt they did not know "very much" or "anything at all" about Black British history. 

Rebecca McNally, publishing director and editor-in-chief of Bloomsbury Children’s Books, said: “We believe it is important for all of us to play a role in shining a light on Black British history, not just in Black History Month but every day. The results of this survey demonstrate an urgent need for books like Atinuke and Kingsley’s Brilliant Black British History; books that spotlight integral parts of our history that have been pushed to one side for far too long.”

A free exhibition based on Atinuke’s book, Brilliant Black British History, is now on show at the Black Cultural Archives, until 28th January 2024.